VIRGINIA – After an appearance in a Virginia state court on Tuesday, Michael Vick’s journey through the criminal court system might have gotten a bit shorter.

Under an agreement with Virginia prosecutors, Vick agreed to plead guilty to one of two charges against him. He was given a three-year suspended sentence from the judge and knows that the last piece of his quest for an early release from federal prison is now in place.

The Commonwealth of Virginia had charged the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback with similar but different crimes that resulted from the dog fighting operation he and his family conducted on the property in Surry County, Virginia.

At the time the charges were brought it felt like a grandstand move on the part of the Virginia authorities.

Those crimes could have easily been folded into the federal case, but Commonwealth prosecutors said the citizens of Virginia were outraged at what they saw and deserved to have their voice heard.

Vick has now performed his public penance by being brought from Kansas to Virginia to personally take his plea and make his apologies to the people of Virginia.

With this resolved, Vick can apply for an early release from Leavenworth where he is still serving out his 23-month sentence. His official release date is July 2009 and as a result of today’s events he can apply to serve some of what is left in a halfway house.

While waiting for final sentencing in 2007, Vick tested positive for marijuana and after his incarceration began at Leavenworth he entered a drug rehab treatment program.

After successful completion of that and the resolution of the pending Virginia charges the path is clear for him to ask for an early release date.

If that happens early enough in 2009, he will certainly apply for NFL reinstatement. Let the discussions begin now about where he would he land if Commissioner Goodell is ready to board the Vick merry-go-round again.

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